Thursday week before last, I was just driving up to the roundabout at the A6 / Chapel-en-le-Frith turning when a car a couple of places infront flushed a Green Woodpecker from the grass centre.
Chapel-en-le-Frith and en-route to Buxton mid morning.
- 102 Pink-footed Geese over bypass - 2 Raven over towards Edale - 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 Goldcrest - small group of Redwings over Doveholes moor
Thurs 21st April Tacho break at turning circle just outside the village. Virtually all birds seen in scrub and hedgerows whilst parked up.
- 1 pair Blackcap - 1 Chiffchaff - 6 Goldfinch - 1f Chaffinch - 1 pr Robin - 1 pr Blackbird - few Blue Tits & Great Tits knocking about - 1 Raven over and up to the hills
Cheers John I knew about the GM sighting and N.Yorks, but I wasnt sure about Derbyshire, and its a big county so I was trying to establish if one was in that part of the county. If it was a White-tailed Eagle then I would almost certainly have assumed it to be an IoW release.
Rob, there have been sightings of White-Tailed Eagle around that time +/- a week for N Yorks, Derby/Notts, Longridge & I think a couple near of reports of large Eagle sp near GM. They likely all relate to birds from the IoW scheme drifting around
Tacho break at turning circle nr Chapel-en-le-Frith village. - 4 Raven over nearby - 1 Blackcap - 1 Chiffchaff - 1 singing Willow Warbler near butty stop bit further up
On 31st March I had a huge Raptor drifting over Doveholes moor towards Wormhill. It was heading away and I had no available roads to take to try to get a better view, all I know it was a very large Raptor. I tried to contact the Roy Dennis project to see if they had any White-tailed Eagles in the area that day but nobody bothered replying. Anyone got any idea how you can view any of their birds flight paths? Ive been told they arent for public viewing so how would you get to know if one was in an area you were in?
Tacho break at turning circle lay-by just off Buxton link road near Chapel village. Been parking here for a while and last few weeks had a bit of activity birdwise. Theres an embankment with a bit of a dense scrub area at the roadside.
Last Thursday - 3 Chaffinch (2m) - 1 pr Bullfinch - 8 Goldfinch - 2 Blackbird - 1 Robin - 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 Buzzard put up all the Corvids infield opposite
Todaymuch the same but also - 2 Redwing mooching around in the tree litter - 4 Ravens over few yards up the road - small party of Long-tailed Tits through
An amazing view at lunch time of an Osprey flying overhead....... from my front room! It headed off towards Coombs reservoir being harrassed by two carrion crows in very high winds. I headed off to the reservoir but failed to see anything of it. Did see pair of Common Sandpiper 4 Great Crested Grebes 2 Cormorant 1 Chiffchaff 1 Treecreeper
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Thursday 18th of April 2013 07:08:08 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 18th of April 2013 07:37:15 PM
Spring now seems to be in the air up here, now nearly all the snow has gone, bits left in the gullies up to Castle Naze. 4 Nuthatch 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 6 Chaffinch 2 Dunnock 8 Goldfinch 2 Mistle Thrush 1 Tree Creeper and this years first Chiffchaff.
Evening stroll arround Coombes 6-20 to 7-40, started with 6 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Goldfinch and 2 male Siskin all together on a garden feeder overlooking the reservoir. Swallow numbers down on recent trips probably arround 20 and no martins. 5 Great Crested Grebes Two lots of Mallard chicks 8 Heron plus 4 young I could see, heard a few more. 2 Common Sandpiper Male and female Tufted duck 1 Cormorant on the water 6 Lapwing, two have hatched their brood. 3 female Reed Buntings 5 Willow Warbler 2 Chiffchaff 1 lone Curlew flying over the water. A further flock of 5 Lesser Redpoll close to the young Lapwings
This mornings walk started with a flock of 10 to 12 Linnet, followed by 4 Lesser Redpoll.
On to Coombes reservoir and the Great Crested Grebes have remade their nest and have at least 1 egg. 6 grebes seen in total. Half a dozen Swallow over the water but no Sand or House Martin. Two lots of Heron chicks are quite large now and clearly visible from across the water from Coombes road. A flock of 10 Teal flying round but refused to land. 3 Male Tufted duck and 1 female. 1 Goldcrest 1 Cormorant in his regular tree. 4 Lapwing (2 on nests) 1 Curlew
5 Great Crested Grebes about 100 mixed Swallow with Sand martin but included 2 House martin 3 Reed Bunting 2 Lapwing on nests 2 Cormorant 6 Willow Warbler 2 Chiffchaff 1 Goldcrest 1 male Tufted duck
A pair of Goldcrest on the lane to the memorial park. Also 2 Longtailed Tits 2 Goldfinch A male Blackbird withh food for young and a pair of Nuthatch. Great start to the morning.
Coombes reservoir.. 3 Common Sandpiper, first this year. 2 female Reed Bunting In the region of 30 to 40 Willow Warbler all arround the reservoir. In one spot I counted 5 seperate individuals singing. 12 Chiffchaff 4 Swallow over the water, no Sandmartin, they must come in later in the day. 2 Lesser Redpoll 1 male Blackcap 1 pair Tufted duck 6 Coot 1 Pair of Dunnock copulating. Very strange watching him peck away at her proffered rear, just before they jumped into the air and touched their nether regions together. 4 Heron at the waters edge 2 Lapwing 1 Curlew 1 Cormorant 1 Common Buzzard A distinct lack of Great Crested Grebes, but the boats were out in force. Overall a very pleasant walk. Forgot to mention the Greylag Goose!
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Sunday 15th of April 2012 06:38:52 PM
An evening stroll arround Coombes from Chapel station. (6-00pmto 8-15pm)
First Blackcap of the year shortly followed by my first Willow Warbler.
Absolutely dozens and dozens of swallow over the reservoir mixed with at least a dozen Sand Martins.
Another brood of Herons has hatched, but looks like the great Crested Grebe's nest has gone!
Saw 3 Reed Buntings together (2 male and 1 female), probably the ones Alan saw, but later round near the yachting club saw a single female. 6 Great Crested Grebes 1 Cormorant 1 pair of Tufted duck. First brood of Mallard (6 newly hatched chicks).
6 swallows over the reservoir on good friday around 8.40am. first of the year for me. 3 reed buntings ( 2 female and 1 male) near footpath bordering reservoir. unlike ken, i did n`t see any sand martins
Heron chicks have hatched. 4 Swallow and 1 Sand Martin over Coombes, first of the year for me. 6 Great Crested Grebes 1 Cormorant. 8 Curlew feeding together in a field behind the reservoir. 7 Lapwing. The two Lapwings that I can see on their nests are still present, despite blizzard conditions on Tuesday night and a 2" covering of snow all day Wednesday.
Lots of Chaffinch this year, seems a lot more than previous years.
My first Chapel-en-le-Frith Chiffchaff of the year, heard on Chapel Golf course, also 16 Lapwing 2 Curlew 4 Longtailed tits in adjacent fields
Then 2 Comorant on Coombes Reservoir 6 Heron 6 Great Crested Grebe (1 swallowing a fish)
No sign of Common Sandpiper or Little Ringed Plover yet but the water level is suprisingly very high. It will start to drop as the canal boats start using the Marple locks, as its a header for the canal.
Very late post for Sunday 16th, Chapel Golf course (front 9) Greater Spotted Woodpecker (2) Nuthatch (4) Lesser Redpoll (5) Siskin (3) Fieldfare (12) and Swallows (5) what are they still doing here?
Robins by the dozens, never heard so many, it was like every third bush had one singing his heart out.
Post for Sunday 31st July. Stroll to Coombes reservoir, 6 Lesser Redpoll a family of 5 Whitethroat Male Bullfinch with one jouvenile, Songthrush nest with 3 eggs and a newly hatched chick. Great Crested Grebe still incubating 4 eggs, due to hatch any day now. 2 Little Ringed Plover, 7 Heron.
A stroll round Coombes Revevoir produced 12 Heron of which at least 5 were juveniles 2 families with about 6 in each family of Grey Wagtail 6 Common Sandpiper 4 Little Ringed Plover 6 Great Crested Grebes 8 Lesser Redpoll 5 Black Headed Gulls (1 juvenile) Dozens of Swallows and House Martins 3 Swift A family of Willow Warblers ( about 4 from the calling but only saw 2) 4 Goldfinch. 1 Greenfinch But where the Lapwings have gone I dont know.
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Thursday 7th of July 2011 10:06:06 PM
Took the dog out this afternoon and started with a Buzzard calling overhead! Lots of Goldfinch along the lane to Downlee Farm. Saw about 6 Redpoll along the path accross the golf course. 4 Heron on the banks of Coombs, 1 Cormorant 4 Greater Crested Grebes, 1 pair have built a nest (in the last couple of days) which has now become land locked and abandoned. 4 Common Sandpiper. On the way back to Chapel a Little Owl flew out in front of me over the newly cut meadow.
Athough an overcast afternoon I had quite a good circular walk from chapel station, accross to the back of coombs reservoir then back via chapel golfcourse. Aproximately 3.5 miles which took me, due to numerous welcome distractions, about 4 hours! The usual suspect at the station, Numerous Willow Wablers and Chiffchaff 6 Goldfinch 2 Blackcap 1 Redstart 1 Robins nets with 4 eggs 1 Nuthatch feeding young A field near the railway line held 6 Lapwing with 2 quite large youngsters. Coombs reservoir has 6 Great Crested Grebes, which were disputing mates.
My walk then took me past the sailing club and adjacent to the golfcourse. At the end of this stretch were 4 Lapwings, one pair had a single chick which was well hidden whilst the other pair had four chicks running about in the open, quite vulnerable to the Herons which were in the area. I made a hasty retreat when I saw this. Accross the golfcourse were two tree Pipits. Sorry if I have gone on a bit, but it was a lovely walk.
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Friday 20th of May 2011 08:28:41 PM
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Friday 20th of May 2011 08:46:00 PM
This mornings dog walk at last produced a Redstart on the banking above the railway line. Also seen this morning were 8 Willow warblers 2 Garden warblers 2 Chiff chaff 2 Black Cap 3 Chaffinch Blue tits Great tits 1 Coal tit 1 GS Woodpecker 4 Lapwing 1 Curlew and to cap it all 4 Hares boxing 50yards front of me! Superb.
Set off to Castle Naze up past Chapel Station, passing lots of Willow Warblers, a single Garden Warbler two Black Caps, Chiff Chaffs, but still no Redstart. On reaching the climbers there were a few Carrion crows about but not much else. 600yards along the edge I saw a female Ring Ouzel just by the usual gorge. A ten minute wait produced the male with its distinctive call. Saw Red Grose and meadow pippits. Further along the edge near the shooting huts my day was then capped off with a pair of Golden Plover, which I managed a distant photo of.
Noticed a Willow Warbler building its nest on the way back, a lovely little ball concealed at the base of a small bank on the ground.
Turns out the woodpecker knocking was digging another hole for a nest and the nuthatch has set up residence in a previous years hole both in the same tree! Lots of Willow Warblers this morning with good views. Again looking for the Redstart but found a pair of Blackcaps instead. The male giving a lovely song. Found a Chiff Chaff nest in a pile of dead branches, actually found it because I was watching her make it last week! Whithout seeing where it was being built I would say it would be impossible to find otherwise. So this mornings walk: Greater Spotted Woodpecker Nuthatches Goldfinches Blackbird Blackcap Wren Chiff Chaff Willow Warblers Chaffinch Blue Tit, and Great Tit Curlew and good old Rodin.
-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Wednesday 20th of April 2011 08:25:11 AM
Walking the dog at 7-30 this morning, I fortuotously took the bins with me and was immidiately rewarded with a female greater spotted woodpecker knocking away at a dead branch. Thre was also a nuthatch calling close by but unobserved.
Further up the lane were numerus chaffinch, robins and wrens. Then the goldfinches joined in the dawn chorus.
As I approached the tunnel under the railway there were Chiff Chaff's and Willow Warblers calling. I saw one of them but which one I don't know! Then a Nuthatch appeared just above a Tree creeper.
The path beyond the railway line only produced Chaffinch, Blackbirds and wood pigeons, but the chorus from the other side of the line was still easily heard. I crossed back over the line at chapel station and walked adjacent to it back down the path.
I was hoping to see the Redstart that was there last year but saw instead a pair of bullfinches quite close up. The Willow warbler and the Chiff Chaffs were still hard at it, and all went to make one of the most enjoyable dog walks I've had since chadkirk woods last year. Went back in the evening but didn't see much only a Little owl.
